


Not How It Works

by Pikachunicorn



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: (i know it's like 3 months later shhhh), (or lack of?), Angst, JayTim Week, M/M, Redemption, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 15:18:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8166521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pikachunicorn/pseuds/Pikachunicorn
Summary: In a second Jason had hold of Tim's staff and pulled him closer roughly, catching Red Robin by surprise. But what startled him more was the feeling of Jason's gun now pressed to his skin."Don't ever try put yourself in my way again, Red Robin. Or next time you might end up collateral damage..."





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just a warning - this is not a happy fic. This is very dark. It also (tw) has sort of hints to depression in it. 
> 
> I love angst.
> 
> (Also, yes, I know my JayTim Week prompts didn't get finished anytime near JayTim Week, but I started them so I'll damn well finish them! >:D)

It wasn't the first time it came between them. It wasn't the first time they didn't see eye to eye on it. It wasn't the first time Jason had come close to the inexcusable.

_Which made it all worse._

The moment was frozen. All Tim could feel was his own strangled breaths and the cool metal pressed to his temple.

His eyes were locked on Jason's helmet, like he could see through the metal, into Jason's eyes. Like he could find answers.

It had all happened so quickly.

Tim knew Jason had been tracking a child trafficking ring recently. Tonight, Jay had obviously found one of the higher up men. Which Tim noticed when he caught a quick glimpse of the Red Hood shoving a man up against the harsh brick in the alleyway and forcing a gun so hard to the guy's forehead, it would've left an indentation.

Tim tried to get down there quick enough. He yelled after Jason.

"Hood, stop! Don't-"

But the bullet was through the guy's brains before Tim could reach the ground or even finish his sentence.

"God, Hood!" He yelled, pointing his bo accusingly at Jason. "You didn't need to do that! We would've-"

In a second Jason had hold of Tim's staff and pulled him closer roughly, catching Red Robin by surprise. But what startled him more was the feeling of Jason's gun now pressed to his skin.

"Don't ever try put yourself in my way again, _Red Robin_. Or next time you might end up collateral damage..." Jason had snarled below his helmet.

And so yes, now Tim was frozen. He forced himself to blink a couple of times, but even that hurt. Shakily, he took two steps back, as Jason's hand went lax and dropped the handgun.

There was a small gasp before, "wait! Tim! I didn't- it was- I'm s-"

"Don't say it!" Tim cut in, before shooting up a grappling hook and running from that situation, from Jason, from their relationship.

After everything that had happened between them... Jason had just taken a step too far.

Jason had just destroyed all the trust Tim had spent so long building...

\-----

Tim wants to sleep. _He can't._

All he can do is lie on his bed staring at the wall. All he can do is think. All he can do is _relive it_.

He hears his alarm click off, and knows before his bedroom door opens who's in his apartment. He should do something. But he's too emotionally exhausted to move.

The footsteps are too familiar and it hurts. It hurts so bad. Usually, those footsteps in his apartment would excite him, make him grin brightly. But now all he feels is cold. Freezing, horrible, dead cold.

He hears his name being called. He hears the panic in Jason's tone. He doesn't respond. He can't.

His bedroom door smashes open. Jason is a mess. Lacking his helmet, his hair is dishevelled and his eyes are wide, mask-less.

"Fuck, Timmy! Oh, god! Listen, I didn't-"

Jason stops when he notices Tim's eyes locked on his thighs, his holsters, his _guns_.

Carefully, he removes the holsters, eyes on Tim the whole time, and places them on the floor. Then, he takes the pistol from his chest holster and places that beside them, raising both of his hands in surrender. Tim still stares at the guns on the floor.

Jason takes a step forward and all Tim can do is just try to breathe. He can't even move to sit up. He can't push back. He can't back away from the potential danger that is his _boyfriend_.

Jason sheds his jacket now as well and holds up his arms again as he moves forward. Forcing his strength, Tim just about manages to lift his eyes and stare at Jason's expression. He can see the pain and panic in the older man's eyes, but every time he looks up into them, he gets a flash of the anger and danger filled ones that he just knows were threatening him behind that helmet when there had been a gun pointed at him. Slowly, Jason moves his hands towards Tim, arms outstretched. He shows his palms, then the back of his hands, before twisting each arm in turn to prove to Tim that he's entirely unarmed. Tim just blinks in response. He's not even sure he has the emotional capacity to care anymore.

"Tim... I swear... I-" Jason so obviously has no idea what he's doing. How is he ever going to talk his way out of this? Simply, Tim notes, _he can't._

"You have to know I didn't mean it!" Jason practically begs. Tim doesn't have the strength or motivation to stop him when he carefully sits on the edge of the bed.

"Go." Tim forces through a painfully weak tone.

"Tim-"

"Leave." He cuts in, clearer now, louder.

"No." Jason responds forcefully, the slight sternness in his voice making Tim shiver in discomfort. He closes his eyes and buries his face in the pillow.

"Listen to me, Tim," Jason pleads pointlessly. "You know - I swear - that it didn't mean anything. It was the adrenaline. The situation. The anger. I'm sorry. I'm so damn sorry."

Tim felt a sudden rush of energy at this, because _no! How could he think this was that simple?!_ Grinding his teeth together slightly, he flicks his head back up to stare Jason down.

" _No_!" He snaps, even surprising himself with its sharpness. "No, that's not how this works! Not again!"

"Tim..." Jason pleads pointlessly.

"I'm not like that, Jason!" Tim forces himself to continue, knowing that as soon as he pauses for too long, he'll lose his words again. "You can't just throw me an apology and some shitty excuse and expect me to get over this! It's too far!"

"You don't-"

" _I don't understand_?!" Tim almost scoffs in disbelief. "You held a gun to my head and threatened my life! What is there to understand?! After I spent so long learning to trust you again... After I forgave you for what you did to my friends... After I forgave you for every time you hurt me! After I shrugged so much of it off as 'pit rage' and let my compassion for you blind me to it! After all that- You- How could you do this to me, Jason?"

"I know." Jason drops his head and he looks almost as bad as Tim feels. "I'm an idiot."

Tim laughs in disbelief. "An idiot?! No! No, Jason, you're definitely not an idiot." He bites his lip and turns his face away for a second, suppressing the tears rising behind his eyes. "You're so much worse. You're a criminal. You're a murderer." Gritting his teeth, he looks his eyes with Jason. " _You're a monster_!"

"But I _love_ you!" Jason gasps, almost as if it's some last ditch attempt to get Tim back to him. It doesn't work.

"Go. Now." Tim commands, so much stronger than before. "Don't ever come near me again."

"No." Tim has never seen Jason look so weak. His lip quivers and he shakes his head. "No, no, no, no, no! Tim please! I'm so sorry!"

Tim tugs at his hair and moans in emotional agony. "You don't get it! I know what you think of me! I know you think it's easy to win me back! I know you had no idea I'd reject your apology. But this is it. This is me not accepting your apology, because it's too fucking late, Jason!"

"Don't leave me, Tim, please! I love you!" Jason's pleading now, tears in his distressed eyes and Tim is having to force himself to stay strong and not give in.

"No, you don't." He states firmly. "Now, leave. I don't want you here."

Jason pauses, before standing reluctantly. Retrieving his belongings, he stops and looks back at Tim one last time. "I'm so sorry..."

" _Go_!" Tim practically yells, because every second of looking at Jason is just agonizing.

Jason moves to leave again, before stopping and digging into his pocket. He retrieves his eye mask, stops for a second, and then tosses it back onto Tim's nightstand.

"I love you." He whispers again before disappearing from the room.

Tim waits in silence for a few minutes, his mind reeling, before he breaks. The sobs come the moment he takes Jason's mask in his fingers. A huge wave of ugly, loud sobs. He collapses back into the pillows on the bed and curls up into a ball. Clutching the mask tightly, he cries relentlessly and wishes this could all be fake. He knows he loves Jason. Madly. But this... This is just too much. And there comes a point when he just need to do what's best for him...

_No matter how hard it seems._

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry!


End file.
